There are several calls on the horizon for submissions to paying journals and anthologies whose editors are seeking scif-fi, fantasy, and horror poetry written around preset topics. If you're an SFF poet on the lookout for writerly inspiration, one of the publisher-set prompts for this coming April, May, and June might give you that extra push you're searching for.
(I've also included a call for poetry subs to an anthology with a March deadline that flew under my radar when composing the last round-up. With only a few days left to submit, this is not a task geared toward people who find impending deadlines more of a stressor than a helpful stimulant, but if the theme appeals to you and you're up for the challenge, crack on!)
Here are some of the opportunities available in the second quarter of 2021 to contribute themed SFF poetry to upcoming publications, listed in order of nearness of submission deadline:
Wight Christmas (anthology) Theme: Christmas Horror Deadline: 21 March 2021 (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems "that subvert Christmas tropes and seasonal clichés" and/or offer "dark reinterpretations of seasonal traditions," e.g. recasting "holiday characters as ghosts, demons, spirits, supernatural entities, or other paranormal phenomena." NB: "No Krampus."
Enchanted Conversation ("Healers" Issue) Theme: Healers, Midwives and Cunning Folk Deadline: 3 Apr. 2021 (submissions open 1 Apr.) What they want: Poems "inspired by fairy tales" that revolve around the theme of "old fashioned herbal healers who served villages way back in the day," traditional midwives, and/or cunning folk, "who used folk magic as well as potions, salves and poultices, etc." Poems should incorporate fantasy elements as well as characters identifiable as "regular herbalists, hedge witches, kitchen witches" or the like. NB: If you have a theme-appropriate submission in mind but you miss the April submission window, don't despair! A new window for submissions on the same theme opens briefly at the beginning of each month in 2021 through to November.
FIYAH (Issue #19) Theme: Sound and Color Deadline: 30 Apr. 2021 (submissions open now!) What they want: Black writers' speculative poetry "about experiencing new worlds with particular emphasis on sensory detail." NB: FIYAH only publishes work by "authors from the African diaspora and the African continent."
Timeless Tales (Issue #12) Theme: Tales of the Arabian Nights Deadline: 30 Apr. 2021 (submissions open now!) What they want: Poems retelling stories from the One Thousand and One Nights or relating original tales “featuring the creatures of Arabian/Islamic folklore.” NB: “Think twice before you send us an Aladdin retelling. […] Well-researched retellings will be considered, but if you're basing it off the Disney version, we aren't interested.”
Apparition Lit (Issue #15) Theme: Contamination Deadline: 31 May 2021 (submissions open 15 May) What they want: Poetry with "obvious fantasy or sci-fi elements" that addresses the theme of contamination.
Under Her Skin (anthology) Theme: Body Horror Deadline: 31 May 2021 (submissions open now!) What they want: "[D]ark, unsettling" poems of up to 50 lines by women addressing body horror themes. NB: The editors are looking to publish work specifically by "poets who are women (cis and trans) and non-binary femmes" in this anthology.
Eye to the Telescope (Issue #41) Theme: Indigenous Futurisms Deadline: 15 June 2021 (submissions open April) What they want: Poems classifiable as sci-fi, fantasy, or supernatural horror from "Indigenous poets from around the world" tackling the theme of futurisms. NB: This call is restricted to Indigenous poets. The editor of the issue says that she'd ask contributors "to self-identify with their cultural or tribal affiliation."
Happy writing, everyone!